Not Easy Being Fuzzy Part 2
by Wolfepup
Summary: Okay, you win, I bow down before the jedi council and post Chaper FIVE of two cute guys with tails. Some WAFF
1. Not Easy Being Fuzzy

"Not easy being Fuzzy" ****

"Not Easy Being Fuzzy"

Nobody's done a Star Wars/X-Men Xover yet, so I decided to have a wack at it. All the "not from Earth" characters are mine. (I know Obi-Wan is hot, but so's me character, Ce'it (pronounced See-et). Read and find out. Just think, a fic with _two_, yes, count 'em, _TWO_ cute guys with tails.)

All the usual disclaimers, blah blah. Star Wars is owned by the great George Lucas, and The Fuzzy One and friends belong to Marvel. Everybody else, including the background concept, is mine. And let us talk about **_AU_**…

Rating: PG

Ce'it Ki Oshanna stood at the window of Bayville High, watching the students as they rejoiced in the end of the school day. One student, Kurt Wagner, had his attention. He couldn't place what is was, but there was something different about the boy. A sense that what was seen was not what was there.

He smirked. No wonder he had liked the boy the first time he sat in his class. Ce'it glanced at the think black band around his wrist. Currently, he looked like any other Human, but the Jedi Council and Traddess decided that is was best if a Jedi—a nonHuman Jedi—scouted this far-flung little world. He leaned his hands against the windowpane, watching Kurt talk to a slim girl in a pink shirt. She covered her mouth as she giggled at something he said.

Traddess was a transdimensional trading organization with the secondary responsibility of making sure everyone who used the nearby spacelane followed the rules. They needed allies, but the Itex stationed here had yet to find any. That was why the Jedi Council sent Ce'it. He silently praised the holographic projector that all Itex wore on this world, he had no idea what the people would think of large talking creatures that looked like either half-dog or half-cat. He didn't want to know what they would think of him, blue hair and tail and all.

He looked up at his reflection, dark blue eyes stared back. He felt odd, not seeing the spots on the back of his neck and blue hair that came from his Valterin father. His mother's legacy, pointed ears and a long, tawny furry tail, were also hidden. He rubbed his lower back. After a while, the muscles protested their cramped confinement, his poor tail wrapped tightly around his waist.

But, he had test papers to grade. He sighed, turning from the window and walked to his desk. The principle had no idea that an alien Jedi was sitting in the ethics classroom, quietly grading papers.

Professor Xavier sat in front of a large computer, staring at the screen with his brows furrowed. This new business in town, Traddess, had him worried. Why would it need to be so secretive? His research showed that it was trying to hire, but not very successfully. 

"What is it, Prof?" Logan walked up behind him.

Xavier folded his hands in front of him, still staring at the computer. A distant image of a building under construction filled the screen. "Traddess, huh?" Logan continued. "I don't like it."

"They are too secretive, too sudden."

Logan grunted. "I'll keep my eyes open, but it's time for training." He turned on one heel, stopping once as Xavier spoke.

"Be careful, Logan. I fear this Traddess may be more than meets the eye."

Logan smiled, "So are we."

Ce'it walked among his students, handing back papers. He noticed that Kurt handled his differently, his first two fingers and last two fingers held together. He passed by, standing in front of the class.

"I want you all to enjoy Spring Break." Smiles greeted him. "But, after that we will start our essay on Human rights." Frowns, and Kurt shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Ce'it smiled to himself, if the boy only knew. He waved his hand at them, "Class dismissed, Kurt a moment, please."

The boy looked confused, but he placed his backpack on his desk. Ce'it didn't need the Force to sense that he was suddenly very nervous.

Ce'it smiled, leaning against another desk. "You did good on your test, but your grammar was a little off. You're getting better, but if you like, I can help you with your English." Ce'it didn't tell him that the only reason _he_ was speaking English was because of a translator imbedded in the black band on his wrist.

"Ja, danke," Kurt stood, shouldering his pack.

Ce'it handed him a business card. His phone number and the name "Sean O'Shanna" was written on it. "Call me anytime to set up a time to meet if you want to. If not, that card makes a good bookmark."

Kurt smiled at the double meaning, study with the teacher, or read. "I vill remember." He skipped out of the room, more at ease. 

"What did Mr. O'Shanna have to say to you?" Kitty pulled up next to him, her notebook held close to her chest.

"Zat I need to vork on my English. He said he vould help me."

"That's great," she beamed, then sobered. "But it's like, weird, too."

He shrugged, walking towards the knot of his friends. Scott leaned against the impeccable hide of his car. "Ja, I know vierd."

She smiled, pushing his shoulder a bit. "You would." She laughed as he stuck his tongue out at her.

Halfway home, he grabbed her ponytail holder and bamfed to the mansion.

He reappeared in the kitchen and started to rummage around in the fridge. "Good afternoon, Kurt," Professor Xavier rolled into the kitchen.

"Hallo," Kurt replied around a mouthful of food.

Xavier smiled. "Anything interesting happen in school today?"

"Ja," he pulled the card out, glancing at it before handing it to Xavier. "Vhat?" The print had shifted slightly, revealing a very small line of text on the bottom. It appeared to be an address. _2934 E Traddess Way, Suite 102_.

Xavier took the card as Kurt explained. "Mr. O'Shanna, my ethics teacher gave me that, saying he'd help me vith English. That address vasn't zere before."

Xavier was transfixed by the word _Traddess_. "I want you to set up a meeting. The library in town will work fine. Scott and Jean will be there, watching everything."

"Vhat is it?" Kurt was worried.

Xavier handed the card back to him. "Traddess is the name of the new corporation three miles away. I need to know if this is a coincidence, or if he really works for them."

Kurt swallowed hard. "Ja, I see."

Xavier nodded, rolling into the living room to greet the other students. "I will tell Scott and Jean. It's your call on when the meeting happens."

Three days later, Ce'it relaxed in the city's library, paging through a book on Earth history. What a bloody mess, he sighed. War after war after war, not unlike home.

Kurt skipped in, waving to a couple of his friends. He walked over to Ce'it, plopping down in the chair opposite him. Ce'it had chosen a table far from the circle of the other seats in the library. Kurt couldn't help but to notice his choice. 

Ce'it smiled, closing his book and placing it on the table.

"Hallo, Mr. O'Shanna."

"Good afternoon, but please call me Sean, I was never comfortable with 'Mr. O'Shanna'."

Kurt smiled sheepishly, obviously nervous about something. Ce'it pulled out a grammar book and asked Kurt if he had a copy of his paper. Kurt nodded, pulling out the rumpled mess.

Ce'it smiled, flattening the paper and began the lesson.

Scott sighed, staring out the window at his car. "I know you want to go out and enjoy the weather, I do too." Jean sighed, "But Kurt needs our help if something goes wrong…" she let the sentence hang, sighing deeply.

He furrowed his brow. "It's been an hour already. If something doesn't happen soon, I'm going to go crazy."

She smiled, patting his hand. "Me too."

They both looked up as Kurt skipped over to them. "How was the lesson?" Scott asked.

"It vent vell, vith Sean's help, I might be able to pass English."

"Sean, huh?" Jean teased.

"Ja, he says he don't like being called Mr. O'Shanna."

"I bet," Scoot stood, stretching. "Anything else?"

"Nein, except for another study session. He says zis one over pizza, maybe. Friends invited, too. But," he shrugged, sighing, "pizza after English."

Jean smiled, muttering something about bottomless bellies. "Did he say when?"

"Nein."

"How about this Saturday, at the park out side of the mansion. I hear it's supposed to be a wonderful day," Jean said, leaning her arms on the table.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Jean laughed softly as Kurt skipped out of the library and into the bright Spring sunshine.

Ce'it lounged in the shade under a tree, hands folded behind his head. He let his mind drift, wandering the varied currents of the Force. _Qua'Xia_ the Itex called it. The word, invented by a people that had no connection to the Force or anything like it, meant "Essence of Power", a catch-all term for the Force, Magic, and anything other weird form of energy.

_Qua'Xia_ was strong on this world, and it fueled a new revolution in Human evolution. Ce'it could feel it with every nerve of his being, a need to adapt, a need to become, a need to use the very thing that makes life possible. But, he sighed, there are many layers to _Qua'Xia_, the Force being only one of them.

The Force rippled, and those who had adapted wandered into the park. He opened his eyes, watching them enter. Kurt headed the pack, wearing shorts and a too-bright tee-shirt, smiling from ear to ear. Behind him trailed Scott, Jean, and the slim girl he had seen Kurt talk to earlier. A dour looking man herded the group ahead of him.

"Hallo, Sean!" Kurt greeted him with his usual enthusiasm.

Ce'it sat up, waving. "Hallo, I have Frisbees and the grammar book." Kurt moaned. "Grammar later, I have decided the weather is too nice."

The dour man's mouth quirked up in one corner. A smile, perhaps? Ce'it suddenly stood, flinging the Frisbee at Scott. Scott caught it, surprised.

"Nice toss," he quipped.

While they were tossing the Frisbee back and forth, laughing and leaping, Ce'it chose to ignore the slim girl, Kitty, as she passed through a tree rather than run into it.

A dark ripple flowed to him, a flash of rumbling anger. He stopped, the Frisbee limp in his hand. "What is it, Mr. O'Shanna?" Scott asked, ever the one for protocol.

Lance Alvers stomped into the clearing, an evil look on his face. "Hi, everybody, see you all wanted to party without me!" He looked over at Ce'it, taking in his dark tee-shirt and gray sweatpants. "And with the new teacher as well, how nice!"

"Why are you here?" growled the dour man, Logan.

"Why, to have fun!" Lance held his hands out. 

Ce'it walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He sensed something else. "No, you are not."

Lance spun and looked at him in shock. Scott took a step forward, adjusting his sunglasses. The boy's eyes narrowed. "You know, teach. You're wrong, I am here to have fun." The ground rumbled.

Ce'it did not lose his balance. Scott ran forward, stumbling, and fell short of Lance. The boy continued to speak, his attention focused on Ce'it. "You failed me in ethics class!" He stomped his foot down, the others falling as the ground shook harder. "BIG mistake!"

Ce'it calmly regarded the enraged boy. "No, you did not fulfill the requirements of the course. And you were absent half the time."

Lance yelled, raising his foot. Ce'it looked around, nobody was in the park except for students from the institute and their dour guardian. He needed their trust. He sighed inwardly, time to let them know he was something else. He called on the Force, and Lance rose gracefully into the air.

Scott looked over at Jean, who shrugged, "Not me."

Ce'it held Lance, speaking softly and slowly. "I have had enough. I don't care who or what you are, you are still my student. If you come to class and do your work, you will pass. I will not be bullied by you or anyone else."

"Hey man, I didn't know you were a freak! Like me, like them, it's cool!"

The dour man growled at the revealing of the others' secrets. "I already know," Ce'it said, soothing the others. Surprise and shock rippled through them. "And I know it's none of my business." He placed Lance back on the ground. He waved his hand at him, cringing at what he was about to do. He couldn't risk Lance seeing what was about to happen. "Go home."

"I think I'll go home," Lance woodenly replied and tromped off into the forest.

"What do you know?" Logan growled from behind him.

Ce'it kept his arms folded in front of him. "Not much, I know you are all different. The next stage in Human evolution. That's all."

"That's too much."

Ce'it turned to face him, shrugging. Kurt ran up to him. "Is zat vy you vanted to tutor me? To get closer to us?"

"No," he looked down at Kurt. "I wanted to tutor you because you needed help with your grammar." Ce'it looked back up at Logan. "I do want to get to know you all better, but on your terms. You have my phone number if you want to call me."

Logan grunted. "How about now, with the Professor."

Ce'it looked down at his watch. "I think I can do that."

Logan waved Kurt over. "Think you can get us to the Prof?"

"Sure."

BAMF

Ce'it staggered for a moment, bracing one hand against the wall. What an unusual sensation. First he was in the sun in the park, and now…now he stood in an austere office with an older gentleman in a wheelchair looking out the window. Kurt panted slightly, standing next to him. He winked, before teleporting out.

Logan scowled at Ce'it.

The man in the wheelchair rolled around, his hands folded in front of him. "I assume you are Sean O'Shanna?"

Ce'it bowed deeply. This was no time for false names. "Ce'it Ki Oshanna, at your service."

His eyebrows rose in the change of name. "What else is different about you?"

"Much, but first things first. Why do you want to talk to me?"

Xavier held up a small card, the one he had given Kurt.

"What is Traddess?"

"Traddess is a trading and security company."

"I don't believe you."

Ce'it shrugged. "Believe what you want, I have nothing to hide." Well, not until the holoprojector was turned off.

Xavier continued to speak. "We know you are a mutant, what I want to know is how we were not able to detect you."

"I'm not a mutant," he held his hand over the watch, deactivating the holoprojector. Logan gasped at he appeared in his own furry glory. Ce'it explained. "My mother was Mersakii, that's where my ears and tail come from. My father was Valterin, I get my coloring and spots from him."

"Was?"

Ce'it nodded once, sadly. "My father was a trader, he died in a raid shortly before I was born. My mother died in a plague on her homeworld when I was two. A Jedi Healer discovered my…talents…and took me to the Jedi Temple for training."

"You're an orphan," Logan stated simply.

Xavier considered the being in front of him. "You are an alien then, able to use some form of energy for your own purposes." Ce'it nodded, the Professor wasn't completely accurate, but he was close enough. He didn't relish explaining what the Force was at the moment. Xavier continued to speak. "What brings you here?"

"Traddess needs allies. We need contacts on this world, people we can trust, people who we know can keep their mouths shut." He motioned to the room around him." He held a hand out to them. "I can offer a tour, if you like."

Xavier nodded, "I would like that very much. Tomorrow?"

Ce'it thought it over for a moment. "I think I can arrange that."

"Good," he turned to Logan. "Please show him the front door, I am sure he has much to do."

Ce'it followed Logan out of the room, not bothering to turn his holoprojector back on. Kurt skipped down the hall, stopping in his tracks and dropping what looked to be a bowl of popcorn. He walked slowly up to Ce'it, pacing around him and going so far as to pull lightly on his tail. Ce'it obliged him by wrapping it around the boy's wrist.

Kurt thumbed the watch on his wrist.

Ce'it's eyes widened as he saw Kurt for the first time. The youth was covered in soft blue fur, dark blue hair falling to his shoulders. Delicately pointed ears peeked out from under the unruly mop, and a long thin tail with a spade on its tip swung out behind him. Three fingers and two toes on each hand and foot rounded out the boy.

Until he spoke, small fangs flashing. "You're like me!"

"Not quite, but, it's nice to know I wasn't the only one leaving fur all over the classroom." Ce'it grabbed hold of his tail, patting down the tip. "With Spring coming, I've started to shed my winter coat." He held up a tawny hair.

Kurt laughed, his eyes bright. "Ja, I can see zat! Just wait until ze ozzers find out!"

Logan scowled at him, but his eyes were soft. "Hate to disappoint you, kid, but your new teacher is—"

"Different," Ce'it cut him off. Logan gave him a very severe glare as the Jedi continued speaking. He knelt down to look Kurt in the eye. "Unlike you, I am not Human." 

"People say that about me, too." 

Ce'it shook his head. "They are wrong." He smiled, taking the shock out of his words. "You belong here, Kurt. This is your homeworld, not mine."

Kurt took a startled step back. "You're—you're an _alien_?"

Ce'it called on the Force, trying to calm the boy down. Logan's eyes narrowed. "I won't deny it, but," he paused, pinning Kurt down with the infamous Jedi gaze, "Just because I am not Human doesn't mean I don't want to know you better." He looked up at Logan, "All of you. I am as much as an outcast here as…" he sighed, letting the sentence hang in the air.

Kurt's shock subsided, he fully understood the meaning behind Ce'it's words. Th eboy sigehd in resignation, "How long vill you be here?"

Ce'it shrugged, standing up, "That, I do not know."

Kurt looked up at Logan, biting his bottom lip, one small fang flashing into view. He stood closer to the Jedi, whispering, "Vat do you use ven you are shedding?"

Ce'it bent to pick up the bowel of popcorn, "That pet store down the street has this new kind of brush…"

Logan rolled his eyes as he followed the chatting, tailed pair from the building. Several strange stares followed them as well.

Kitty darted next to him, whispering. "Is that Mr. O'Shanna?"

Logan nodded, "We will have a meeting after I show him out. Tell the others to meet me in the main room."

She nodded, looking once at the oblivious pair, and fazed through the floor.

Evan, Scott, and Jean sat on the couch, watching TV and waiting for the others to arrive. Kurt bamfed in, fussing with something paddle-shaped before tucking it into his pants pocket. Rouge sauntered in, followed by Ororo and Logan. Kitty phased through the wall with a two bowls of popcorn, one of which she handed to a delighted Kurt. The Professor glided in last, a grim and determined expression on his face.

"After school tomorrow," he began without preamble, "We all have a meeting at Traddess."

"That strange new building you have your eyes on, right?" Evan asked, his mouth full of popcorn.

Xavier nodded. "Yes, and Mr. Oshanna will be our tour guide."

"Sounds like fun," Scott smiled, reaching over for popcorn.

A corner of Logan's mouth quirked up. "You have no idea."

Xavier glanced at him sideways before continuing. "After my mistake of not telling you about your principle, I have decided to tell you now what I know of the new ethics teacher."

Five pairs of eyes stared at Xavier in disbelief. Kurt looked smug, smiling at his secret. "Mr. O'Shanna is a mutant? Please tell me he's not Kurt's father," Evan quipped.

Kurt gave him a sidelong glance, but Xavier spoke, smiling. "If Mr. Oshanna was Human, he might have been Kurt's father. But, he's not."

"Like, not his father, or not Human?" Kitty ignored the hands removing popcorn from the bowl on her lap.

"Both," Xavier sighed. "He works for Traddess, and has invited us for a tour."

"Cool, like spacemen and stuff, dude! And he's your teacher!" Evan patted Kurt on the back.

"Ja," Kurt agreed, smiling, "And he has a tail, and blue hair, and pointed ears, and he—"

"He what?" Kitty glared at him.

Kurt looked sheepish, "Uhm," he brushed at his forearm, wiping off lose strands of fur, "zat he's not the only one who leaves fur in ze classroom."

"Shedding his winter coat, too?" Scott teased him. Kurt smiled in response, shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

"Anyway," Xavier continued, "We do not know anything about these people. We do need to find out exactly what Traddess is, and why it is here. And we all need to be on our best behavior."

"Ja," Kurt agreed, "Ve vill try."

On the outside, Traddess looked like any other half-completed office building. Construction workers applied final coats of paint to the exterior, while a little vehicle with a brush under it wiped the dust from the newly paved parking lot. Islands of dirt sprouted around the parking spaces, trees stacked off to one side like a root-ball bound forest. Piles of shrinkwrapped pallets littered the edges of the parking lot. The x-van was carefully parked next to a battered red pickup, a metal frame connected to the bed. Ladders were tethered to the top, one so long as to peek over the roof.

A small, slim man walked gracefully up to them. He stood for second, giving them time to look him over before he introduced himself. Xavier took in his very short stature, only slightly taller than Kitty, and his vibrant purple eyes.

He bowed deeply. "I am Spokesbeing Donnye, and I welcome you to," he glanced back at the half-completed building, "Traddess."

"Spokesbeing?" Logan repeated.

Xavier waved his hands at his students, "These are my wards, Scott, Evan, Kurt, Kitty, and Rough. This is Ororo and Logan." Donnye inclined his head to each one.

He turned, speaking over his shoulder. "It may not look like it, but his building was built backwards, from the inside out. It's almost complete. If you would follow me, the lobby is much more pleasant than what will eventually become the parking lot."

Xavier couldn't place the small man's strange, subtle accent.

AN—not to leave you guys in the middle of a paragraph, but...should I continue? What does Traddess have in mind for the X-Men? Just what is a _Jedi_ doing on Earth? And why a _nonHuman_Jedi? Just what is Donnye (he's not Human, either)? And…AND…what kind of enemies does Traddess have that requires such secrecy? Not to forget the most irritating question of all…what will they find in the hallowed halls of Traddess? So….should I continue? 


	2. What Lies Beneath

Chapter Two… ****

Chapter Two…

Okay, so that was my first time uploading with the chaptering system, Bad Puppy! Okieday then, this one is listed as Chapter one, but it's really chapter two. So far, Our good friends from the Xavier institute have been invited for a tour of the mysterious Traddess, and now, we will see just how _normal_ the X-Men are compared to _them_. HOLD ONTO YOUR SEATS and grab a doggie brush, there's a whole LOTTA fur up ahead!

And it's a Kurtty, how cute! ^_^

And that bothersome disclaimer thing. By now, we all know who belongs to whom. If you want a pic of Ce'it, or K'Payr, or Sai, or Skimmer, or Kurt, or any other character, just email me at [wolfepup23@hotmail.com][1]. But ya gotta ask nice. ^_^

****

"What Lies Beneath"

Donnye continued to speak as they neared the building. "If any of you have questions about anything, Just ask. If we can answer them, we will. If not, we will tell you. Either way, your question will be answered."

Xavier nodded. Donnye's accent was very strange, it came from deep in his throat, a series of growling consonants, clipped syllables, and rolling vowels. 

The building loomed before them, reaching for the sky with skeletal fingers. Kurt looked around in amazement, whistling softly. Donnye smiled, a strangely feral expression, and pointed out features of the exterior. "That on top is going to be the helipad, and if you look down there, you can see the loading ramp for the lower levels."

"How big is this structure?" Xavier inquired.

Donnye shrugged, "As big as it needs to be. I suspect that most of it will be empty, but we must keep up appearances."

Donnye held the lobby door open for the group. Kitty stopped just inside and gasped. The lobby was an atrium, topped with a large skylight made to look like the galaxy. Bits and pieces of colored glass turned the sunlight that shown down on them different colors. Tropical plants framed the built in desk. A pretty woman, her dark hair held back by an ornate silver clasp, looked up from the desk. She smiled, pushing a button to one side and speaking, "_Shorra'Rei_." 

"What did she say?" Xavier rolled next to Donnye as his students gaped at the atrium/lobby.

"That we are here."

A slate gray door slid open and the most striking woman Xavier ever laid eyes upon glided into the room. She was very tall, stately and diplomatic. Her long pure white hair flowed down her back. Her skin was the color of the clouds on a perfect summer day, her eyes the color of the sky.

Donnye noticed his stare, and spoke, his purple eyes shining, "Sorry, she's not your species."

Xavier closed his mouth, "Pity."

She bowed deeply as Donnye introduced her. "This is Spokesbeing K'Payr Manora, also a representative of the Epain Council and Traddess."

"I am pleased to meet you," her strange accent was the same as Donnye's, but more pronounced, sharper. She motioned to the door behind them. "If you would follow me."

Xavier looked up as they passed through the door, the frame painted green. The door led to a long, austere hallway, lined with doors framed mostly in green, a few in yellow, and one in red. K'Payr opened a nearby green framed door, motioning for them to enter what looked to be a briefing room. 

"I zoght zis vas supposed to be a tour," Kurt piped up.

"It is," she calmly replied, "But there are things you need to know before we continue."

She waited until they were all inside before closing the door. Xavier took notice of the odd floor. "Logan, look at this," he pointed to the floor. The chairs the others were sitting in seemed to sink a small way into it. Logan bent down, poking his fingers into the floor when he heard the others gasp. He looked up, and in font of him was the largest pair of pale claws he had ever seen. They flexed, digging into the floor, then relaxed. Logan watched the floor heal itself. His eyes panned up the pure white triple-jointed catlike legs. A thick tail waved slowly back and forth, counterbalancing a slim, muscular body.

K'Payr looked down on him with her very large, pure blue eyes. Her face was round, like a cat's, but her eyes were far too large, extending from her jawline to just above her hairline. He fancied that if her drew lines on her face, one down the middle, one across the middle, and diagonal line from where those intersected to the back of her head, he would have the size of her eyes and ears. A small, pert muzzle with a dainty pink nose, topped it off. Then he noticed her fangs. Sabertooth-like canines stretched to just below her jaw.

"I am Longtooth Clan Plainsrunner variant Itex."

"Zere are more like you?" Kurt was amazed, he was on his feet, staring up at her.

She nodded, "Yes, but not all of us look alike. Just like there are different breeds of Human," she poke the word huskily, an emphasis on the first syllable. Somehow, she made the word seem alluring, mysterious, "there are different breeds of Itex. We all have some traits in common, but we are more…diverse…than the Human breeds."

"I dunno," Scott glanced over at Kurt, whose holographic projector was still on, "We can be pretty diverse."

She laughed, "True, that." She reached forward, palming a raised disk on the table. It glowed, and the image of a dog-like being stood before them. "This is the other variant that you will meet. This image is of Sai, a Grey Rock Tribe Mintakken." She left the image up as she continued speaking. "You will meet two other species. One you have already met, Donnye."

"So, he isn't Human," Xavier commented.

She shook her head, "I am more Human than he is. He is a Shapechanger."

"Like, a shapeshifter?" Kitty was concerned.

K'Payr smiled. "No, there is a difference. But for now, just know that he is not Human."

"And the other species?" Logan growled.

"Machine Intelligence, living, thinking, feeling, nonorganic lifeforms."

"Artificial Intelligence?" Xavier prompted.

She pinned him down with a pointed stare. "They are anything but artificial. They came into being by mistake, like any other lifeform. They are born, they fall in love, they feel pain, and they die. Just because their bodies are ships or computers does not mean that they are not very much alive."

"My apologies."

She nodded. "Accepted. It is hard for them to talk with us here," she fanned her hands out, motioning to the room and the space beyond it, "So they have developed what they call a 'Mobile User Interface'. Never mistake this for the real thing, and if you are in the same place as the Interface and the ship, talk to the ship, not the Interface."

"Anything else? This tour is starting to bore me." Logan crossed his arms in front of his chest.

She nodded once. "Yes, feel free to enter any room with a green frame. A yellow frame can only be entered if you have clearance or you are escorted. And never, ever go through a red door. Those are keyed to nonHuman DNA, and it would be your death to pass under them. But," she paused, smiling, "feel free to ask what is on the other side."

She turned the hologram of Sai off, walking over to the door. "Are you ready?"

Kurt jumped up, "Ready as ever!"

Kurt couldn't hide it, he was excited. Everywhere he looked, he saw tails, pointed ears, fur. Granted, none of them were blue, but the colors did vary. He saw K'Payr's snow-white fur, T'Kayr's ebony fur, even T'Chan's many spots. He could hardly hold in his energy.

"Kurt," the professor's voice brought him up short. Kitty hid a smile behind her hand. "Why don't you turn your hologram off."

He had forgotten he was wearing it. With a sheepish grin, he fingered the watch.

No one gasped as his appearance changed. No one backed away in fear, no one shuddered in revulsion. Instead, a heavily accented voice declared to someone behind him, "I told you one of them was shedding! My fur is brown, brown not blue, brown."

He turned, seeing a pair of Mintakken Itex conversing. One was reddish brown, her long black hair pulled back in an elaborate swirl of braids. She was talking to a taller male, his gray fur darker on his back than his belly. Kurt blushed a deep purple when he saw they were wearing nothing more than loose cloth wrapped around them.

K'Payr smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "When you are covered in fur as long and as thick as ours, you tend to avoid clothing. It is uncomfortable and hot."

He nodded, closing his mouth. Kitty peeked her head into every green framed door, and to her disappointment, most were empty.

K'Payr noticed her, "Most of the building will remain vacant."

She pouted. K'Payr came to a vary large double door, the frame bright yellow. "If you would follow me," she held it open for them.

From the outside, Traddess looked like any other moderate sized office building. Three stories, a warehouse out back.

The inside was something else.

Logan gaped at the room that opened before him. They hadn't traveled up any stairs, so he knew they were still on the structure's first floor. But what he saw made even his jaded soul gasp in amazement.

"Oh, vow," Kurt whispered.

Several stories down, a wide flat floor was filled with activity. Two wide ledges ran along the walls, one above the other. Sleek, birdlike glossy black ships, all the same size but all different from each other in subtle style, glided from one ledge to another, or from the floor to a ledge. Itex of all sizes, shapes, and colors flowed from one ship to another. K'Payr spoke, breaking his paralysis.

"As you have by no doubt guessed, this is our landing bay. About half of these ships are Machine Intelligence."

One of the graceful ships lifted from its moorings, raising straight up to them. Logan was taken aback by the lack of engine noise. Its wings swept down and were canted forward, the nose sloping down. The vessel was not large, by space ship standards. But it was very large as it hovered over them, not rustling the air. The stillness was very eerie.

Then it spoke, "Pleased to meet you, I am Skimmer, Donnye's partner."

"Ah!" Xavier exclaimed, "You are a Machine Intelligence!"

"That I am." She dwarfed them, easily three stories tall in her own right, and several meters long.

Kurt reached up and touched her nose. Odd bits of light flickered around his fingertips. She swiveled slightly on her axis to "stare" right back at him. "And you would be?"

"I'm Kurt," he seemed pleased that she was focusing on him to answer her question. "Zis is Keety, Scott, Rouge, Ororo, Evan, Logan, and Professor Xavier. Jean is home with a cold." Each nodded or waved as they were introduced.

A slim woman appeared from thin air beside them, holding a hand out. The ship continued to speak. "This is my User Interface. If you see it, you know I am with you. From a distance."

Scott walked around it, "Cute," he commented. "But you might want to change the clothes on it."

"Ya," Kitty quipped, "Like, to fit in better. It looks, like, out of date or something."

Skimmer floated closer, only a few centimeters, but just enough to know she had moved. "I see, I would like your fashion advice then."

Kitty brightened and Kurt rolled his eyes. "Zis could take a vile."

"What have we gotten' ourselves intah?" Rouge commented, leaning against the wall.

Xavier looked closer at the ship. It was not all glossy black as she first apeared, instead there were darker gray lines lacing through the glossy black. Occasionally, a bright flash of light would run down it length. K'Payr explained. "The metal her hull is made of absorbs energy. It is her shields, her weapons, her engines. These lines direct the energy to where she needs it."

"Can she be cloaked?"

In response to his question, Skimmer shimmered out of existence. He reached forward and felt something solid, the energy tingling under his fingertips. Kurt had climbed up onto her, and now looked down at the floor several stories beneath him. In the blink of an eye and a waft of sulfur, he was standing next to Xavier.

"Varn me next time, ja?"

K'Payr smiled broadly, "Shall we continue?"

The rest of the tour could not be topped by the landing bay. K'Payr showed them the hydroponics lab, lounge (complete with a pile of snoozing Mitakken Itex), and one of the communications relays. 

"Just why is this here?" Xavier asked after a while. "Why not one of the moons of the other planets?"

"It is best to hide right under someone's nose," she replied, walking next to him. "If we were to settle on Charon, Pluto's moon, one of the passing satellites would be sure to see us. Here, we can rest assured that if we are careful, we will not stick out and be noticed so easily."

He nodded, "But what is this facility for?"

"It is a communications relay and monitoring system. A new trade route opened not too far from here, and we need to make sure that all who travel it follow the rules. If one of them does not, we will take care of it."

"You are policing the trade route?"

"No," she shook her head. "But we opened it, it is an Itexian route, and with it so close to your world, we cannot take the risk of some of the less scrupulous Travelers from taking advantage of your world. That route is our responsibility, and we will make sure that you world will be safe from threat from Beyond."

"Beyond?"

"Beyond the Barrier, the very thing that holds your dimension together. We travel transdimensionally, Xavier. We use the Gateway that pierces the Barrier and allows us to travel Beyond. These portals into your world, your dimension, is what we are protecting." 

Xavier mulled the information over in his head. "I see."

She led them out to the parking lot. The sun was starting to set and Kurt's stomach was letting all of them know he was hungry. They waved farewell to K'Payr, her own holographic projector turned on, as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"I don't like it, Professor," Logan growled.

"I like it!" Kurt quipped.

"You would," Evan chimed in, "The only place I've seen more fur was in the lint trap after you've done laundry!"

Kurt stuck his tongue out at him. Kitty giggled and Kurt flashed her a winning smile.

Kitty stood in front of sign taped to the wall at the school, her notebook held to her chest. She sighed, within earshot of Kurt, before walking down the hall.

"Vat vas zat all about?"

Evan closed his locker. "I dunno, why don't you go ask her?"

"Naw, she'd just get mad at me."

Kurt skipped into his ethics class, plopping down in his seat. He was the first in his class, and he relished spending time with Mr. O'Shanna, or Ce'it Ki Oshanna. Right now, his teacher was leaning against the desk next to his, his holographic projector hiding his own long tawny tail, pointed ears, and blue hair.

"Ask her."

Kurt was taken aback. "Vat are you talking about?"

"You know," Ce'it grinned. "I don't need to be Jedi to know you are thinking about a girl. So, who is it?"

"Keety," he replied shyly.

"So, why don't you ask her to the dance this Friday?"

"She'd say no."

Ce'it crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And how can you be so sure of that, hmm?"

He held up a hand, stopping the conversation as the other students walked into the room. Kurt took being called Mr. O'Shanna's teacher's pet with his usual good nature. If they only knew.

Mr. O'Shanna walked up to the front of the class, and began the lesson.

Kitty sat in the living room, reading the latest fashion magazine. Kurt had no idea how she was able to read that drivel. All advertisements and how to make the guy of your dreams chase after you. He paused, guy of her dreams?

He snuck up behind her, peeking over his shoulder. She was filling out some kind of survey. "Your Dream Guy" was the title.

And the name "Scott" was scribbled on top.

Kitty looked up at the sudden scent of brimstone. "Kurt?"

Kurt sat curled up in the branches of a tree, his tail dangling behind him. She didn't like him, she liked Scott. He slowly tore a leaf apart, watching the little green bits float to the ground. Scott, not Kurt, but handsome, normal looking, Scott. Scott, the popular one, Scott the tall one. Scott the one who doesn't shed. He brushed some loose fur from his arm.

"Hey elf, what's wrong?" He hadn't noticed Logan sneak up on him in his brooding.

"Nozing," he turned his back to Logan, one hand on the tree trunk.

Logan grabbed the spaded tip of his tail. "I know what nothing is, kid. And this is not 'nozing'."

He sighed, there was no way he could escape from Logan. If he teleported out, Logan would track him and eventually get the information he wanted, perhaps even in the Danger Room. Kurt would prefer to talk on his own terms, not bruised after a round of training.

"Keety," he sighed softly.

"Ah, girl trouble."

Kurt smiled, one small fang flashing. "Ja."

Logan was a gruff, abrupt man, but at times like this, he couldn't hide the soft spot he had for each of the students. And right now, a soft and furry spot needed his help. He pulled on the tail, pulling Kurt into his arms. He placed the youth on the ground. "Talk to me, elf."

He looked away, chewing on his bottom lip with one fang. "I…"

"Out with it."

"I vanted to ask her to ze dance, but I don't zink she vould vant to go vith me."

"And what makes you think that?"

"She vants to go vith Scott."

"I know that Jean is going with Scott, by then her cold will be gone."

Kurt's eyes brightened a bit, "But, how do I ask Keety?"

"This is what we do…"

Kitty sighed. Tomorrow was the dance, and no one had asked her yet. Scott had asked Jean day before yesterday, Evan was filming it, and even Rouge had plans. Kurt bamfed in, plopping next to her on the couch. "Hi, Keety."

"Hi, Kurt."

He wanted to say something, but his question just roamed around in his eyes, fighting to come out. He chewed on his bottom lip, "Keety?"

"What?" She was starting to become annoyed.

He wrung his hands, nervous, "Do you vant to go to ze dance?"

Dance, with Kurt? He held up a hand, "Uhm…zink about it, ja?" A flash of brimstone, a few lingering blue furs, and he was gone. She plucked one of the furs out of the air. "He really is shedding."

Her sigh was filled with hope, she had been asked to go to the dance! Even if it was with Kurt, it was something. Now, to find a dress…

Kurt sauntered into the dance, beaming. Kitty was at his elbow, smiling. Ce'it gave the pair a knowing smile before returning to his duties as chaperone to several gyrating teenagers. Loud music boomed over the sound system, colored lights casting the room into a kaleidoscope of chaos. Arms flashed over heads in tune to the rapid heartbeat of the music.

The song wound down, to be replaced by something softer. The teens paired up, and Kurt looked at Kitty, again chewing on his lip. "Stop that," she teased, "You'll chew a hole through it."

His tooth once again hid in his mouth. "Okay," he was still nervous. "Do you vant to dance?"

She paused, then started as she felt something push them. She and Kurt both scanned the room for Jean, but their eyes stopped on Ce'it, leaning against the wall some distance away. He winked at them, as if saying "Go dance, have fun."

Kurt stuck his tongue out at him and walked onto the dance floor, Kitty following. Soon they stood, face to face, his hands on her waist, her hands o his shoulders. For a moment, she could feel the muscles under his clothes, tensing in nervousness. They rocked in time with the music, drawing closer to each other. Finally, she placed her head on his shoulder, enjoying the fierce beating of his heart.

This wasn't so bad. She could feel the muscles in his strong arms as the wrapped around her. He spoke softly, almost sadly. "Vat about Scott? I saw the magazine."

She paused in mid rock. "I—I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight. She looked up at him, his eyes bright, "I guess," she paused, uncertain as to what to say, "I guess I didn't see what was right in front of me," She rested her head on his shoulder again.

He rested his chin on her cheek. Her eyes snapped open at the sudden feeling of fur, but then half closed like a cat whose itchy spot you just found. His fur was very soft, almost like silk. His breath was husky in her ear, she looked up at him, his eyes centimeters from hers. She pulled him closer, rubbing her cheek next to his. The song ended, and she passed her lips softly over his, pulling away. "I think I would like some punch."

K'Payr glared at the holographic display. It hovered above the table in the conference room that she had used to brief the X-Men. But instead of a Mintakken Itex, a readout of Beyond floated in front of her. Cells of color and tubelike structures filled the air, the odd geometric Itexian text flitting from feature to feature. Little red dots swarmed trough the tubelike features.

They were being invaded.

My first Cliffhanger!! YIPEE! ^_^;

   [1]: mailto:wolfepup23@hotmail.com



	3. Good Morning, Planet Earth!

Chapter Three  ****

Chapter Three 

Sorry about the cliffhanger, I couldn't help myself. ^_^;

All the usual disclaimers apply.

****

"Good Morning, Planet Earth!"

Jedi Knight Ce'it Ki Oshanna sat bolt upright in bed, panting. He wiped at the cold sweat that covered his brow. "What a dream," he mumbled softly.

He swung his lanky legs over the side of the bed, resting his head in his hands. "Something tells me that I won't be sleeping anymore tonight." He gazed forlornly at the alarm clock. Three am was written on it In bright red letters.

_Beep, beep-beep, beep._

He sighed, picking up the sleek communications device that Donnye had given him. He palmed the thing, scowling at it. A small hologram of K'Payr flickered into being.

"_Ce'it, contact the Xavier Institute. We are being invaded._"

He was fully awake, his attention focused firmly on the hologram. "By who?"

"_The Rylaxian Trade League._"

"But we are nowhere near their space," he protested.

"_We are now._" The hologram flickered and vanished.

Logan was up late, as usual, prowling the sleeping Institute. He could barely hear the wind slapping branches against one of the outside walls. The mansion was full of nighttime sounds, a slowly dripping faucet, wind through a drafty crack, someone snoring softly.

He scowled as someone knocked on the door. The wind picked up, adding soft spatters of rain, matching his darkened mood.

"This had better be important." He pulled the door open to reveal a soaked Ce'it, holding his coat at his throat as the winds snapped around him. Logan did not invite him in. "What is it?"

"We are being invaded."

"Prove it."

Ce'it pulled a small black box from his pocket, thumbing the side. A flickering Plainsrunner Itex, dark orange fur striped with red and black hair pulled back at the nape of her neck, came into being.

She began her briefing as Xavier rolled into the room. "_The Rylax have conquered Itexian space three aarms from here. For now, they are not advancing."_

"How did this happen?" She was not surprised at the Professer's sudden appearance.

"_We are hoping it was not an traitor, but the attacks on our outposts were too fast, too precise."_

"What of us?" Logan growled.

"_We will do what we can to protect you, but our defenses are not yet complete. The good news is, is that they will want as many people alive as possible. The bad news is because they value slaves."_ Xavier motioned for Ce'it to come in out of the rain, and Logan closed the door behind him. He looked up as a muffled "bamf" emanated from the kitchen. The Itex continued to speak as Logan walked into the kitchen.

"_First, they will disable your satellites, but so far they have yet to reach your outtermost one."_

Xavier breathed a sigh of relief. Then he sobered. "How long is an _aarm_?"

"_You know how long a lightyear is, correct?"_ At his nod, she continued. _"Speed is determined by power falloff thresholds. Power useage peaks at the speed of light, then tapers off to the next threshold, and then raises to the next peak, then tapers off, and keeps going next until you need infinite power to progress. This speed is known as Warp 10. We have the technology to travel faster than that. After that, the speed is linear, Warp 11 is twice Warp 10, Warp 12 is three times Warp 10, and so on until you reach Warp fifty, more than fast enough for your molecules to split apart. An aarm is how far you travel in one day at Transwarp 1.5."_

Xavier let to a low whistle. "So, these invaders are 3 days away."

"_Roughly, distance is not accurate with aarms, but when one is capable of going so fast,_" she splayed her hands out, "_they do not need to be."_

Low voices came from the kitchen. "Time for bed, kid."

"But, Logan, I am still hungry." Ce'it smiled at Kurt's protest.

A blue furry head peeked around the corner into the main room. "Hallo," he said around a mouthful of food. "Vas you doin' here, Ce'it?"

"Go to bed, Kurt." Ce'it sighed sadly.

Kurt shrugged, and with a flash of imploding air and a rush of brimstone, he was gone.

Xavier folded his hands in front of his face and stared over his fingers at Ce'it. The flickering hologram looked calmly at them both. "We are dealing with two very advanced races, one on our side and one not. How do you expect us to deal with this?"

Ce'it placed the hologram on the coffee table, peeling off his sodden coat. "K'Payr wants a meeting with all of you as soon as possible."

Logan sighed. "Field trip for all of the students here, Prof?"

Xavier nodded, "Ms. Darkholme must be convinced that there is no other choice."

Ce'it smiled, holding up his wrist. "Leave that to me."

"You wished to see me?" Ms. Darkholme crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaning against the side of her desk. Her eyes narrowed.

Ce'it knew she had her suspicions about him; spending so much time with the X-Men and Kurt in particular. He smiled inwardly. "The children that reside at the Xavier Institute are going on a long-term field trip, I am to be their chaperone. You already know who I have chosen as my substitute." 

She nodded, her expression dark. "And you know my answer. You, and the children, will stay here." She turned to her window, scowling out of it at the happily chirping birds beyond.

Ce'it fingered his watch, turning the hologram off and waiting for her to turn around. "Are you still here?" she hissed.

"I am because no is not an option."

Anger flared from her, carried to him on waves of the Force. This was not a woman who liked to be disobeyed. She spun, her mouth open as she started to speak.

Ce'it smiled innocently at her, his tail swishing behind. A thought, a very powerful and surprised thought, screamed from her mind. _He could be Kurt's father!_

The Jedi smiled, it was not often when one made Principle Darkhome speechless. He shocked her even more when he spoke. "I am not Kurt's father, in fact," he leaned closer to her, "I'm not even Human. Given that information, how can you refuse the field trip?"

He had to give her credit, she composed herself quickly, pacing around him. "And where are you going? Mars?"

Ce'it shrugged, "I doubt we will be leaving Earth, but something tells me we might have to."

She opened her mouth to argue, but stopped short at his sad, pained expression. Ce'it continued to speak, "That is a last resort, but something very bad is happening, and we are doing whatever in our power to stop it. I know you have access to other mutants," he held up a hand, silencing her, "Don't ask me how. Keep your eyes on the stars, Principle Darkhome."

"Is this an invasion?" Suspicion and anger flowed from her.

He nodded sadly. "Yes, but not from us. We only wanted a communications monitoring station, we have no interest in doing anything with the native population."

"Why are you telling me this?"

He pointed to her, gazing out from under dark blue bangs. "You are a very powerful woman, you have contacts that even you don't know about. All I ask is that you grant the field trip for the Xavier students and…" he looked away, his voice stern, "If we need help protecting this planet, you will set aside your hate and work with us."

"You or Xavier?" she spat.

"Both." He fingered the watch, turning his hologram back on.

"How do I know you are telling the truth?"

He shrugged, "You don't." Sighing, he continued, "I'm not expecting an answer concerning your support, but I am for granting the field trip. They are still students, and this still needs to be legal."

"What about their studies?" she argued, stalling him.

He shrugged, "Donnye will tutor them."

"Donnye? And who is that?"

"A fifteen hundred year old Shapechanger Ambassador. I think he will be able to answer any questions they may have." He turned the doorknob, stepping out of her office before she could respond.

"Permission granted," she whispered.

Traddess was in chaos. The teens were involved as much as they could be, and the Itex demonstrated an amazing level of trust. Corridors previously barred to them were opened, information displayed in both English and geometric Itexian.

Kurt was among those drafted first. His power of teleportation made is easier to travel from place to place without leaving a tell-tale energy signature. Kitty soon followed, phasing Itexian hands through Machine Intelligence and ship hulls to perform quick repairs and modifications. She soon became a favorite of the MI, the first Human with the ability to tickle them.

Jean, Rouge, Scott, and Logan held down the fort at the mansion, holding up appearances that they were leaving on a very long term trip. Xavier oversaw the work the students performed, Ororo and Evan at his side.

Kurt bamfed into the main room, plopping down on the couch smelling of sweat, grease, brimstone, and something else. Xavier wrinkled his nose. The Rylax were now one _aarm_ away. "Za last MI lifted off a few seconds ago, Ce'it iz on his vay back vith Keety."

"You sound exhausted."

Kurt yawned, and his belly growled. Evan had been running support for them when they arrived home, and he already had a plate of food for Kurt. Kurt accepted the food with a grin, then proceeded inhale it.

"I have never teleported so much, I am so tired," he complained between bites.

"Like, save some for me," an equally tired Kitty sat next to him, stealing some of his food.

Ce'it leaned against the doorframe. "Get some rest, all of you. Tomorrow, the Rylax will be here. Let's hope they never make it to Earth."

The group nodded. Xavier spoke up first, "What if they do?"

Ce'it grinned slightly. "Donnye just finished the modifications to your plane. And Scott," he waved a hand, motioning toward the nonpresent youth, "is being trained on how to use it, and through him, Jean as well."

Xavier nodded grimly, folding his hands in front of him. "Then I suggest we all go to bed, tomorrow promises to be a very busy day."

Skimmer screamed through the fabric of space, far beyond the reach of the light of the Earth's sun. Faint starlight glistened on her glossy hide. She reveled in this, soaring through the element of her people, the energy of the stars powering her. It flowed through her veins like blood, pumping through her heart. A machine, hidden deep within her, a power converter, warmed her soul. 

_Qua'Xia_ to any other species was magic, bits of energy released by living things. The Force was one such energy.

To her people, _Qua'Xia_ was something else. Energy was her life, her blood, her food, her air. She knew everything about it, including how to control it. But, controlling and using are two very different things. She could not control _Qua'Xia,_ none of her people could. The wavelength was wrong, almost erratic. To her, _Qua'Xia_ was a form of energy, then when converted into something she could control, released less energy that what was used to convert it. To her people, _Qua'Xia_ meant useless.

She did not need it to grow, to reproduce, but the flesh and blood that supported her people did. Without it, the spark of life that heralded so many a baby would never be. The encouragement of a cell to divide and grow strong would not exist. _Qua'Xia_ was life to those she loved and loved her back.

Donny was one such person, and currently he coordinated their efforts along with those of forty other MI and ships. He had been her partner for well over four centuries, and she hoped he would be for far longer. 

"How long?"

"Three minutes," her voice was soft and husky, a smooth version of her preferred gender. Technically, MI were asexual, though it still took two to make another. Skimmer just preferred being female.

Donnye clipped something in the Itexian tongue, a barrage of commands. The language was compressed, formed from the remnants of the root language, lost three thousand years ago in The Great Massacre. The Itex were almost completely wiped out, but they had gained the secret or transdimensional travel.

She could feel the massive energy wake of the Rylaxian armada as it approached. Ships screamed out of Beyond, flickers of yellow then black. Sleek black ships, similar in size and color to the Itexian vessels but whose design was sharper, more angular, feral, glided into view.

Skimmer dropped her shields. Her hull was made of a special metal that absorbed energy, and to power her weapons, she must first be hit. This was her space, and she was determined to defend it.

The Rylax say her offensive posture and paused, not expecting to discover forty Itexian ships ready for battle.

Until backup arrived.

Heh, sorry about the cliffhanger, I couldn't help myself. ^_^;

BUT, good news, I've already started writing Chapter Four "And all Hell Breaks Loose"


	4. Look to the Sky

Chapter Four ****

Chapter Four

All the usual stuph right here. Changed the title from what I had originally in mind. Posted this one fast, 'cuz I post 'em as I write them, and I hate cliffhangers and much as you do! ^_^

Keep comin' with the reviews, I'm loving it! (I can't believe it, this one story got more reviews than my six Star Wars postings combined! YAH!)

****

"Look to the Sky"

Space screamed wide open.

Hundreds of Rylaxian ships emerged from Beyond, green lances of energy lanced from their bows. But they weren't weapons. Visible tracking beams for gravitonic arrays, designed to tear the sleek Itexian ships apart.

Tractor beams, the bane of a metal that absorbs energy.

Shields snapped up, deflecting the tracking beams, preventing the tractor beams from locking on. Energy surged out of batteries, the Itexian tractor beams grabbing onto nearby asteroids and flinging them at the oncoming ships. 

Thirty Itexian vessels, over a hundred Rylaxian ships.

Skimmer always did like a challenge.

She soared through the melee, Donnye keeping track of the other ships' positions. He regulated her power stores as she fought. Power low, flash to warp speed, then through the nearest star. Come back hauling a lethal payload of plasma.

Three Rylax vessels became one with the Four Winds of Beyond, brilliant blasts of pure energy as the hulls released their pent up power. Neighboring ships absorbed the blast, shuddering and flashing into nonexistence as their power converters overloaded. One succumbed fifty kilometers (not quite 25 miles) to her left. Too close for her comfort.

What the Itex lacked in numbers, they made up for in communication. They knew where every Itexian ship was at any time. Teams of MI flanked ranks of Rylax, powering them into dust with bursts of tractor beams and plasma.

Skimmer shuddered as she glanced off a gravity well, then calculated how she could use it to her advantage. Three Rylax vessels followed her to their doom, smashing into the surface of some long-forgotten rock.

The Sol system was one minute away.

Ce'it sat next to Professor Xavier, eyes closed. He muttered from time to time. "They are getting close, three Rylax vessels destroyed. One Itexian. They are outnumbered."

Kitty couldn't help her pacing, alternately wringing her hands or running them through her hair. They were as ready as they would ever be, the Black Bird soared over the Institute, Kurt acting as a go-between.

He bamfed in with a rush of sulfur. "Xavier, ve have the Rylax ships on the new scanners."

Xavier nodded, his senses reaching out and feeling the rough edge of the battle. Something supporting to say flickered on the edges of his mind. "Tell the others that this is the most important battle we will ever fight. Tell everyone I have faith in them."

Kurt nodded. "Ja, I vill tell them that."

Kitty placed a hand on his arm and a quick kiss on his lips. "Come back to me, elf."

Surprise was soon replaced by resolve. He ran his hand down her cheek. "I vill, Keety. I vill."

Skimmer screamed her defiance to the Winds. She swung between two Rylaxian ships, their tractor beams taking each other out. She called out to Novasong, warning him of the trio hiding behind a sun.

Novasong howled as they converged on him, casting his energy to the Four Winds. She growled, and Donnye was hard pressed to control her as she soared around the sun, drinking in its power."

"The converter is full!" he screamed.

She didn't care, Novasong was her friend! They had talked for many years on having a child together, and the Rylax had taken that from her. She could feel the heat of her anger in her converter.

The Rylax never knew what hit them.

Skimmer emptied the converter into the closest ship, overpowering its already taxed converter. It shuddered, glowing brightly before exploding in a shower of sparks. The energy wake crashed into the remaining pair, exploding one and flinging the other into the sun. An arc of superheated plasma danced from where the ship impacted, bits of blue sparks dancing along its length,

Sol system was thirty seconds away, the sun a dull star in the distance.

Kurt bamfed onto the Black Bird, relaying Xavier's message. Scott nodded grimly, a thin black band around his forehead. Jean sat in the co-pilot's chair, a similar band around her brow. The controls were covered in glossy black, displaying flight information in hovering holographic displays. Text, in English and Itexian, flitted across the screen as fast as thought.

A heads-up display filled the front of the cockpit, a counter running along the bottom. Kurt frowned. Thirty Seconds.

Scott furrowed his brow. "Here they come."

Little blips of red and green, fifty red and twenty green, flashed into view. Kurt looked out the window, meteors of color streaming across the heavens.

Magneto looked up at Mystique. She looked down at her feet, hands clasped in front of her.

"This Mr. O'Shanna isn't Human?"

"Yes, he is something else…"

"And you believed him?" His ranting was cut short as he stared out the window. "What on Earth?" He walked over to the window, Mystique forgotten.

The stars fell from the sky. He looked back at her, "You knew of this?"

Shocked silence was her response. "The invasion," she whispered.

Scott yelled as the Black Bird flew faster than it ever had. It soared in that region of too thin air just before leaving the atmosphere. Percussion weapons, missiles and bombs, hung under the sleek wings. 

With a thought, a pair of missiles detached themselves from their moorings, soaring at the enemy ships. A pair of Rylaxian vessels shattered into nothing, burning up as they entered the atmosphere.

Kurt shuddered, strapping himself in even tighter. A ship flown by thought.

A sleek black ship creamed by them, one wing mangled and twisting out of control. It managed to pull up, shuddering as it entered orbit. The Black Bird responded to Scott's unspoken command and swung around for another pass.

A piece of debris from a Rylaxian ship scored Skimmer's wing, sending her into a wild fall past the modified X-Men craft. She fought the pain, pushing it to the far corner of her mind. "Donnye?"

No answer.

She scanned the interior, he was laying over the console, rubbing his head. She sighed, as close as a being can sigh without lungs. Skimmer had no idea what she would do without him. With a roar of triumph, she regained control and soared into space.

Ce'it paced in the Xavier mansion. Storm was outside, testing the winds for the Itexian vessels. One had already breached the atmosphere, then turned and went screaming into space. Kitty was a bundle of nerves next to him. Logan prowled the complex, eyes on the sky and ears on the Professor. Rouge chewed on her bottom lip, her powers next to useless in this combat.

Kurt bamfed next to them, panting. "Zey are here."

Twelve Itexian ships squared off with twenty Rylaxian vessels.

Skimmer shuddered, her aim off due to her mangled wing. Donnye was conscious, and he directed her as best he could, rerouting energy pathways so she could concentrate on keeping them alive. Starscream flew around her, dragging a ball of plasma from the Sol sun. 

Skimmer waved her a greeting.

Eighteen Rylaxian ships.

A ship bore down on her, tractor beam engaged. A sleek blue ship lanced between them, firing off a rocket.

Seventeen Rylaxian ships.

Galaxyquest spun on his axis, bringing and undamaged wing to the fore. His side sparked from uncontrolled energy. His power converter was visible, a madly sparking bundle of machine. He angled himself towards an equally battered Rylaxian vessel.

Sixteen Rylaxian ship, eleven Itexian.

An asteroid flew out of nowhere, and Starblast darted out of its way, disengaging it from its tractor beam. The ship it was aiming for dodged, but not the one behind it.

Fifteen Rylaxian ships.

Skimmer inquired about the asteroid, and was soon informed of a most useful feature that they had all overflown.

Between two gas giants was an asteroid belt that the Rylax didn't know about.

Skimmer kicked in her propulsion, heading for the asteroids.

Scott's knuckles turned white as the grabbed onto the joystick. He groaned as the ship fought him for control. Kurt covered his eyes, they were too high up! There was no more air to power the jet engines, and they were stalling. Scott let loose a missile. If they were going to die up here, he was going to take a few of them with him.

Fourteen Rylaxian ships.

Ce'it gasped. "What's wrong?" Xavier looked over at him.

"The engines stalled."

The room was silent for the beating of Kitty's heart.

Magneto hovered above the building, eyes on the sky. One ship was different. He lowered his binoculars, scowling. He hated to do it, but this was his world, his home. And it was very unlikely that he would be able to find another.

He reached with his power.

Scott grimaced, then fell over the console, unconscious. Jean was prepared for this, and her mind took over the controls in half a heartbeat. The ship shuddered once, then responded to her urgings. A quick mental nudge released a missile.

Thirteen Rylaxian ships.

A pair of Itexian ships flew back them, a load of asteroids behind them.

Ten Rylaxian ships.

A sleek Itexian ship sparked, blue light dancing across its hull.

Ten Itexian ships.

The engines died, sputtering and leaving the ship in eerie silence. She yelled, slamming her fist on the console. Kurt made as if to unstrap himself, to teleport them both to safety. "Too far," she panted.

The ship shuddered violently, banking hard to the right. A hose exploded, releasing a stream of steam into the cabin. Kurt could feel a breeze ruffle his hair. "Ve're losing air!"

Skimmer grabbed the asteroid with her tractor beam, swinging it around. It slammed into the underside of a Rylaxian vessel, knocking it off course. A quick lance with her beam at the ship fell into the sun.

Nine Rylaxian ships.

Magneto gasped as his powers came in contact with the alien vessels. He quickly pulled away from them, focusing on the X-Men ship. He wrapped his mind around it, holding it together. The ship responded faster than it should have, losing a pair of missiles at an oncoming ship.

Eight Rylaxian ships.

Ce'it's eyes opened wide. "Professor, one will break through and fall to us. We need to destroy it!"

"How?"

"Storm," Ce'it's eyes were distant, the Force urging him to action. "Have her use lighting to blast it out of the sky."

__

You hear that, Storm?

Yes, Xavier. Was her soft reply. She gathered the elemental power of the storm, feeling it surge through her veins. She had to overload its power supply.

Too little, and she would revitalize the enemy, too much and she would die.

The ship came as promised, wobbling a bit. She grimaced, calling down lightning.

Seven Rylaxian ships.

Skimmer tore the wing off of one ship, flinging it at another. The other ship dodged, right into the asteroid Sunflyer had paced earlier.

Six Rylaxian ships.

Sunflyer emerged from behind the asteroid, a stream of power following him. With a sad farewell, he rushed the nearest Rylax.

Five Rylaxian ships, eight Itexian.

Kurt looked around, they were no longer falling and the leak had stopped. He stared at Jean.

Her brows were furrowed deeply, her hands clenching the controls. A quick look over her should displayed what he feared the most.

They were out of missiles.

Jean steered the ship into the atmosphere.

It shuddered as the thicker air slammed into the hull, tearing the wings off. _Teleport_. The voice was distant, echoing. And not Xavier's.

He unstrapped himself, using his ability to stick to just about anything to make his way to Jean and Scott. A knowing look to Jean confirmed what he was thinking. The Black Bird was doomed.

Kurt placed a hand on her and Scott's shoulder, gathering his energy around him. He hoped Logan would be ready. BAMF

The ship swung aside, bouncing off the atmosphere and back into space.

Four Rylaxian ships.

Logan heard Xavier's command, and ran next to the pool. He arrived just as Kurt teleported into existence, Scott in one hand and Jean in the other. They fell into the pool.

Logan dove after them, pulling Scott's limp form from the water. Jean swam unsteadily to the far edge, pulling an unconscious Kurt after her. She eased herself out of the pool, yanking him our after her, too tired to use her power. 

Scott moaned softly, Logan was satisfied that he would live. 

Jean leaned over Kurt, then sat bolt upright, yelling across the pool, "He's not breathing!"

Ce'it sprung from his seat, grabbing Kitty's arm. Without prompting, she let him drag her as she phased them through the walls. They emerged at the pool, Logan bent over the very still form of Kurt, breathing into his mouth and them pumping on his chest. She stopped, Ce'it clearing the pool in one leap and landing next to Kurt.

He reached with the Force, one hand on Kurt's forehead.

It rose to him, beckoning. This was not Kurt's time to die. It urged his battered body to heal.

Ce'it gasped as it suddenly surged through him. Kurt coughed once, shuddering as his body breathed on its own. The Jedi sat back on his haunches, not quiet aware of what was going on.

Kitty kneeled next to Kurt's head, brushing the hair out of his face. "He'll be alright," Logan's voice was gruff. He locked eyes with Ce'it and the Jedi saw what he though he never would.

Respect.

Two of the remaining Rylaxian ships cut their losses and bolted for Beyond. Skimmer let them go, ignoring the yellow blast as they entered the Gateway.

Two were left.

In a matter of seconds, only one remained. It screamed towards Earth, nothing between it and the planet.

A distortion of space and the ship changed course, careening into an asteroid.

Skimmer sighed heavily. "Let's go home."

Everything hurt. Kurt cracked open one eye, then closed it. It hurt to blink. Every nerve was filled with a dull, distant ache. His ribs ached, his head throbbed in time to his heatbeat.

But he was alive.

Something warm was wrapped around one of his hands. He forced his eye open, looking up at Kitty. She was fast asleep, her chin resting on her chest.

"Shh," a soft southern voice spoke from next to him. He turned his head very slowly and blinked up at Rouge. She smiled, speaking softly, "Ah imagine you have quite the headache." He blinked in response. Kurt didn't even want to speak.

Somehow, she knew what he wanted to ask. "We'll alive, thanks to Ce'it. He's in tha next bed ova."

Kurt turned his head more. Ce'it lay on his back, eyes tightly shut. "Ah dun know what's wrong with 'im." She crossed her arms in front of her chest as if she was cold. "But ah think he might wake up soon, he started talkin' in his sleep."

He had to smile, even if it did make the fur on his face ache.

Kitty stirred awake, joy filling her eyes as she looked at him. He slowly turned his head to look at her. She squeezed his hand softly, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes dry from too much crying. Kitty leaned her face close to his ear, whispering, "I never want to lose you again." She sniffled, sitting back up her eyes bright.

"I came too close to losing what's most important," she placed a gentle fingertip on his lips to keep him from speaking. Kurt doubted that he would be able to speak as it was. "I love you, Kurt Wangner, and don't you forget it."

Rouge placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, Sugah, let's get you somethin' to eat."

The mood at Traddess was quiet. Forty-two Itexian ships and their pilots had given their lives defending Earth. And now that the Rylax knew that the Itex held claim over it, they would leave it alone. Once stirred into combat, the Itex were not a race to be treated lightly.

K'Payr slowly read off each of the names in front of the assembled Itexians, X-Men, Jedi, and one Shapechanger. Each name was spoken in Itexian and English.

"_Shorra'Rei'N'Saora_, Farstar, partner Strip Clan Plainsrunner variant _M'Fao_, Child's claw."

"_K'Doeis, _Discover, Partner Gray Rock Tribe Mintakken variant _Yara'Arran_, Cold Cloud."

She read the solemn list, name after name, partner after partner. Kitty placed her hand in Kurt's, the youth's chest swathed with bandages. Logan was not gentle trying to save is life, and Kurt didn't blame him.

Ce'it stood next to them, head bowed. When she was done, he relayed a message from his Council. "Look to the stars," he looked up then back to the crowd, his dark eyes meeting with every other eye around him. "For there you will always find your allies."

Magneto turned away from the quiet gathering, the words of warning and now hope echoing through his head. "Look to the stars, indeed." Once it had saved his life, and the life of those on the doomed Black Bird.

And it might once again.

Wow….am I done? It's up to you guys to decide! ^_^


	5. Don't Drink the Water

Jedi Knight Wolfepup bows down before the Council

Jedi Knight Wolfepup bows down before the Council. Masters Diane, Discord, Thundercat (rubbing a paw along a muscled forearm), Chris Volger, Jane Silver, and CrazyCartoonJoker, look down upon her. Master Charmega gazes down from over (his/her?) nose and decrees, "Not Easy Being Fuzzy" WILL have a fifth chapter. It is the will of the Force.

Who am I to argue? ^_^;

Now, I was thinking (dangerous, I know), might as well get the OFFICIAL disclaimers out of the way. The Itex has nothing to do with Stars Wars, they came from me. They're all mine! BUT…even through Ce'it Ki Oshanna is my character, he is a Jedi inspired by Trip from Power Rangers Time Force. Don't ask, I was bored. And, believe it or not, if you trace Donnye back far enough, you'll get a Ninja Turtle of the same name. But name is where that one ends these days. Warp and the definition of the speed comes from Star Trek. The obvious hails from Marvel. Yes, when I was just a little cub, I watched entirely too much TV. ^_^;

So, sit back and enjoy! ^_^

****

Chapter Five

****

"Don't Drink the Water" Or Pizza Party and the Mersakii Security Blanket

A week had passed since the battle. Kurt, oddly enough on the advice of Ce'it, avoided teleporting. His head still throbbed, but not as much as it had. He rubbed his temple, the teacher in his math class long used to it. If they only knew how close they had come to losing Earth.

Rumors still flooded the school about an alien invasion, a war between two races to dominate the Earth. Satellite pictures from NASA and the Hubble Space Telescope were kept in closely guarded rooms. The tabloids reasoned that they hid the identities of the attackers. A few even went so far as to assume that one of the races was protecting Earth, a benign and noble race.

They had no idea how accurate they were.

The X-Men had lost their plane, the Black Bird. It had been sacrificed to protect the Earth, ramming into a Rylaxian ship. How it turned, he had no idea, though he suspected Mystique might have something to do with it. She seemed to have her hands in everything.

He had learned a valuable lesson as far as his power was concerned. Teleporting took energy, and transporting three people over a very long distance had killed him. But, Logan kept his body alive long enough for Ce'it to pull him back from the brink. He shuddered, suddenly very cold.

The professor had told him that not only did Ce'it save his life, he saw into the future. Kurt was now very much in awe of the Force. To him, it was mystery, hidden power, unknown strength.

But Ce'it had reached his limits as well. He was not a healer, his strength was not the Living Force, as he called it. He had used everything he had to bring Kurt back. He smiled slightly, and Ce'it said his headache would fade the same time his did.

The teacher excused the class, closing her book sharply. Kurt gathered up his books, stuffing them into his backpack. Evan, who had this class with him, hefted his backpack on his shoulder next to his own. Kurt started to protest, but Evan silenced it with a look.

"How you doin?" he had to have noticed the rubbing of his temple.

"Better, still have mein headache."

Evan grinned, "I have no doubt! I saw Ce-Sean in the hall today, he looks terrible."

Kurt was concerned, "But he didn't look bad this morning?"

He friend shrugged, but he couldn't stop the flash of concern in his eyes. "Let's go talk to him, and then let's go enjoy ourselves. It is Friday after all!"

Kurt had to grin at his friend's enthusiasm, "Ja."

Evan placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, waving his other hand in front of him, "I see you napping under a large tree. Scott, Jean and the others playing Frisbee in the sun."

He smiled, he had to agree with his friend's logic.

Kurt met Scott in the parking lot after school, looking over his shoulder at the building. "Kurt, what's wrong?" Jean easily picked up on his emotions. "Evan said Ce'it vasn't looking so good, so ve vent to say hi to him. But he vas not in his office. The secretary said that he had gone home early."

Scott had recovered well from the incident in the Black Bird. He leaned against the side of his car, watching Kitty and Rouge approach. "I say we pay him a visit."

Kurt smiled, hopping smoothly into the car, careful not to jar his head. Kitty slid into the seat next to his, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Evan sighed and rolled his eyes, climbing in next to him. Jean sat in the front next to Scott, and Rouge managed to squeeze in the back, her eyes twinkling in uncharacteristic happiness. She was becoming quite good at not touching anyone with her skin, especially Kurt, who needed what energy he had left.

"If yah don't mind, ah'd like to go back to tha mansion."

Scott nodded, turning the key in the ignition. "First stop, Xavier's School for the Gifted," he looked over at Jean, who rolled her eyes at his attempt at a joke. He shrugged, putting the car into gear and rolling out of the parking lot.

He felt horrible. His body was still not sure if there was anything in it, as much as Ce'it tried to tell it that is was very much empty. He shuddered again, fighting against the dry heaves. His back ached, his throat was on fire. He felt fine this morning, except for that headache. Another teacher, one whose eyes had followed him as soon as she discovered he was single, insisted that she help him.

Ce'it was far from Human. Half of what was in his fridge was poisonous to a Human, and half of what a Human ate was poisonous to him. He didn't heed his own counsel and didn't test the little white pill the teacher had given him.

He groaned, cursing himself. Aspirin, he was allergic to aspirin.

Someone knocked softly on the door. A quick brush with the Force and he knew Jean, Kurt, and Kitty stood on the other side. He tried to croak for them to enter, but the effort of speaking caused another coughing fit and a surge of more dry heaves. Their concern wafted to him.

He reached with the Force, touching Jean's mind. Her shock registered, then faded at his carefully thought words. _Come in._

He could hear the doorknob rattle as they tried it. It was locked. But Kitty fixed that, reaching her hand through the door and unlocking it. "Ce'it? Where are you?" Jean's voice echoed through the apartment.

_In here_.

Ce'it was curled up on his side, drenched in sweat. Even the fur on his tail was soaked. Jean covered her mouth with her hand. Ce'it looked up at them with pained blue eyes. "Vat happened?"

_Aspirin_.

"Aspirin?" Jean was taken aback. "How could aspirin do this to you?!" She knelt next to him, her head inches from his eyes. She placed a hand on his forehead. Her skin was so cool. He closed his eyes momentarily.

_Not Human_.

Her mouth opened in an "O" of surprise. He doubted she had ever really though of how alien he was until now.

"You are allergic to aspirin?"

Kurt and Kitty gasped from behind her. He opened his eyes, looking up at them. He sent Jean a feeling of acceptance, of not caring if they decided to stay or not. He secretly wished they would. _Call Donnye, number next to the phone._

She looked at him, "We can stay?"

_Yes._ His reply was curt, his head aching even greater.

Jean walked over to the phone, dialing. "Hello, Scott."

"He's sick."

"Aspirin."

"I'll explain later, I need to talk to Xavier, Ororo, or Logan."

"Yes, Logan, I know, training room."

She glanced over at Ce'it. Kitty had moved a chair next to him, and had a hand on his shoulder as he commenced with another bought of dry heaves. "But—oh, you heard that? That was Ce'it. Yes, we'll stay with him. You're coming over?" Another glance at Ce'it. "Okay." She set the phone done, looking around for Donnye's number. Notes scrawled in any language but English littered the stand. No wonder she had never seen Ce'it write, even being a teacher, he hid the fact that he _couldn't_ write English. Her eyes passed over to school books in a careful pile next to the stand. "How to Read and Write"

He was learning how to write English. She picked one up, paging through it, his handwriting was angular, sharp with the lowercase letters darting below the line. But each letter was drawn with careful precision.

A slight mental nudge.

She turned to look at Ce'it. "I can't find his number. What language is this anyway?" She held up a random scrap of paper, the writing full of loops and characters. Almost like a cross between Chinese and script. _That's the one_. His mental voice was pained but amused.

She looked at the scrap in surprise. Sure enough, there was what looked to be a series of numbers on it, quick strokes of repeated lines. She looked closer, and beneath them, their English equivalents. 

It didn't take long for Donnye to arrive. He placed a band around Ce'it wrist, a rather glovelike affair with a loop around the palm of the hand and a wider band around most of his forearm. Angular letters flitted across the surface in shades of red, yellow, and green. Donnye looked at Ce'it, amusement in his eyes.

Logan burst in, smelling of motorcycle and concern. Donnye looked up at him, "He'll be fine. He just needs rest." He tapped a yellow icon on the band. "This will ease the heavings, but I wouldn't suggest eating until the aspirin is purged from your system. This one," he tapped another yellow icon, "will help ease the ache."

Logan calmed down, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "How long?" Jean looked up at him, surprised. Very rarely did Logan ever show concern for anyone.

Ce'it's eyelids were becoming heavy, Donnye shook his shoulder slightly. "How long?"

Jean started, straining to hear his mental voice. _Four hours since the aspirin. Don't know how long until I am better._ The effort seemed to drain him. Kurt looked up at them, one fang flashing out as he chewed on his lip.

Donnye sighed. "He's been like this for a few hours, at least. The allergic reaction wasn't immediate."

"How do you know this?" Logan growled.

"The aspirin had to enter his bloodstream. We're lucky he had a small dose, anything much larger would have killed him."

Kurt was taken aback by his matter of fact tone. Donnye noticed his discomfort, passing his too-old eyes over the teen, "I'll admit it, I am as worried as you are. But I am _old_, Kurt. I have seen _civilizations_ die in my wanderings. I am used to seeing death." He placed a hand on Ce'it's shoulder. The Jedi looked up at him, blinking slowly. "I'm just glad I don't have to see it now. Imagine what we would have to tell the school board! Let alone your Council!"

Ce'it smiled weakly. Donnye continued, standing up. "You get some sleep, I'll be back in the morning." Logan stopped him with a hand on his arm. He spoke, his voice low and growling, "You sure he's gonna be alright?"

Donnye glanced at the now asleep Ce'it, before looking back at Logan and nodding. "Yes."

Logan let go, scowling at him. "You had better be right."

Jean, Kurt, and Kitty decided to stay the night. Ce'it would from time to time mutter something soft in his fluid native tongue. Kitty discovered that the couch was a hideabed. She pulled it open, wrestling with the extra pillows. Kurt walked the short distance to the nearest video store and rented such classics as _Top Secret_, _Zorro, the Gay Blade_, _Robin Hood: Men in Tights,_ and _Spaceballs._

Kitty laughed at what Ce'it would think of the "Schawrtz". Kurt snuggled against Kitty, his eyes half-lidded in pleasure as the opening credits for _Spaceballs_ scrolled up the screen. His belly growled.

"Kurt," Jean sighed, "Since you have memorized every pizza place in the State of New York, you call for pizza."

"Who's paying?"

They looked up at Ce'it, who stood in the doorway leaning against the frame. "How are you?" Kitty asked.

He yawned, padding over to a recliner, his tail dragging on the ground. "I've felt better." He glanced at the TV from under limp dark blue bangs. "Sleepover, huh?"

"Ja," Kurt smiled, bouncing off the couch turned bed. He proceeded to show Ce'it the movie selection. "Zorro the what blade?"

"Gay."

"Happy?"

Jean and Kitty looked at each other, before their defenses withered and they fell into a laughing heap on the bed.

Kurt shrugged, explaining the word's other meaning. Ce'it's eyes widened. "I had ze same problem."

Ce'it leaned his head back, eyeing the trio. "Order some pizza, I'll pay, but don't expect me to eat any of it. Oh," he held up a hand, stopping Kurt's mad rush for the phone, "Get drinks, too. I would advise against eating anything in the fridge."

Comprehension filled Jean's eyes. "That's right!" At the others' blank looks, she continued. "If some of what we eat is poison to him, then the same holds true for us."

Kitty looked at Ce'it. "Just what _do_ you eat?"

"Go look," he waved at the fridge. Kurt looked over Kitty's shoulder as she opened the door. Rows of neatly labeled colorful containers filled it from top to bottom. Bottles, all labeled in Ce'it's loopy angular handwriting in his native language lined the door. Kitty couldn't help but smile. She reached in, pulling out a larger container. "Lettuce?"

"Not everything you eat is poison to me," Ce'it replied.

"What is this?" she pulled out a red container filled with shredded bits of leaves. The larger veins were red. She held it out to him. "Rhubarb leaves. Tastes great with ranch dressing."

Jean scowled as Kitty gingerly placed the container back in the fridge and closed the door. "That's, like, ew." Kitty wrinkled her nose.

"Poison to you, food to me," Ce'it quipped. "Does this ship ever stop coming?" He pointed to the screen. A very large ship flew past slowly.

"Eventually," Kurt replied, picking up the phone.

Three large pizzas, one of which was the sole resident of Kurt's stomach, two two-liters of soda, and two movies later, the group decided to call it a night. Ce'it was escorted back to his room by Jean. He had shown them where the extra blankets were kept.

Logan had a made a brief appearance not too long ago, carrying a backpack full of spare clothes. "No funny stuff," he warned them, his eyes on Kitty and Kurt.

They changed in the bathroom, Jean coming out in soft sweats and a teeshirt. Kitty was dressed in a long sleeping shirt and shorts. Kurt opted for a teeshirt and shorts, a hole cut in the latter for his tail.

The trio looked at the bed. "Who is going to sleep where?" Jean had her hands on her hips.

Kurt gathered up a large blanket, walking into Ce'it's room. He turned and winked at Kitty, "Sleep vell."

She sighed. Jean saw her look and smiled. "I know what it's like." She placed a hand on her shoulder. "Give it time."

"I know."

Ce'it and Kurt were asleep well past Saturday Morning Cartoons. Kitty looked in on them. Ce'it had doffed something in the course of the night, a pile of soft gray fabric lay past the foot of his bed, but he otherwise looked comfortable. He lay sprawled on his back, dark gray sleep shirt rumpled, hair spread out his head, and tail firmly gripped in one hand.

Kurt lay curled up on the floor, tail twitching in tune to whatever he was dreaming. The blankets were a mess, more of a cocoon than a blanket, and one bare two-toed fuzzy foot stuck out. Kitty couldn't help herself and she leaned over and tickled him.

His toes twitched, then his leg. She stopped his tail with her other hand. He looked up at her with one sleepy eye, "Gouten tag, Keety." (AN, sorry if I spelled it wrong.)

"Good morning." She smiled, straitening as she stood up. Ce'it looked at her with one sleepy eye. He saw her eyes pass over to his tail tip, still held securely in one hand.

He motioned to her with it. "I inherited this from my mother, a Mersakii." He rolled onto his side, levering himself up on his elbow. "It's called the 'Mersakii Security Blanket'." He let go of his tail.

Kitty hid a smile behind her hand.

Kurt sat up, stretching. He yawned, "How'd you sleep, Keety?"

She leaned against the door, arms wrapped around her waist. "Fine. But," she whispered, "Jean, like, snores."

He smiled.

Ce'it swung his long legs off of the bed, the blanket still over his waist. He glance down, then at the foot of the bed. "Kitty, if you don't mind?"

"Oh! Okay," she waved, waltzing out of the room.

Kurt smiled, bamfing out with a breeze of brimstone, then reappearing just as fast, blushing a deep purple. Something hit the wall. "Ah, bathroom's not empty."

Ce'it smiled, leaning over and grabbing his shorts. His tail stuck out, a furry counterbalance. Kurt pouted, plopping down on the floor, tail behind him, waving in the air. His back was to the Jedi, and his head was in his hand. "What's wrong?"

Kurt sighed, "Vat does Keety see in me? I mean, I have blue fur and a tail and," he held up his hands. "I don't know, Ce'it. I zink she vould be better vith someone else."

Ce'it leaned down, placing his hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel."

Kurt turned on him, "How? You're not Human! You get to be with those zat look like you!" Kurt turned his back on him again. Ce'it sighed, sensing the boy's regret at his outburst.

"I'm not Mersakii, and I'm not Valterin. I'm not normal because I am a Jedi." He crouched in front of Kurt, forcing the youth to look at him. "You have what I can't. You belong here, on Earth. My home is Coruscant, many _aarms _away." Ce'it voice grew soft. "You can have a family, Kurt. I can't."

Kurt looked at him is shock. "Vy?"

"How much do you know of biology?"

He shrugged, "Not much."

"What do you get when you combine two different species?"

Kurt shrugged again, Ce'it continued, "Say, a horse and a donkey. Different species, but the result is a mule."

Kurt looked confused, "Mule?"

"You are a flesh and blood Human, right down to the last protein in your DNA." He sighed sadly. "I am like a mule, not of any one species."

"I don't get it."

"I can never have a family, Kurt."

Realization dawned on him, Ce'it continued speaking. "Look what you have here, Kurt. And don't try to hide it from me, either, I'm a Jedi, it's what I do." Humor twinkled in his dark eyes. "Kitty loves you very much, and I know you feel the same."

Kurt looked away, "but—"

Ce'it cut him off, "No but's, Kurt. Get dressed." He stood, a little shaky.

"You okay?"

The Jedi held up his arm, the black band still prominent. "I should be fine tomorrow." He glanced at the band. "The aspirin is almost gone."

Ce'it waited for Kurt to leave before plopping heavily down on the bed. As a Jedi, a family was a near impossibility, but at least most had a choice. His Master, an ancient Jedi Human named Tari (AN: See my Star wars stories for Tari's early years!) had a huge family. He had a mate, two children, a mother, a father, cousins, brothers, sisters, everything. Ce'it leaned his face in his hands. He had the Jedi Temple, but at times like this, it just didn't seem to be enough. Here, on Earth, there wasn't even another Jedi for him to talk to.

He looked up. The Council would be expecting an update soon.

"Vat took you so long?" Kurt looked up as Ce'it padded into the room. The couch was once again folded back into being a couch. The trio was camped out on the bed, munching on leftover pizza.

Ce'it plopped into the recliner. "The Council had to be updated. I should hear from them tomorrow."

"Council?" Kitty looked over at him.

"The Jedi Council. In short, they answer to the Galactic Senate, and I answer to them."

Jean and Kitty's mouth formed into "o's" of surprise. Kitty shook herself out of it first. "So, like, what now?"

"The Itex are going to be rebuilding Traddess for a while, and it's Saturday, so, we might as well go visit the Professor. How's the headache, Kurt?"

"Almost gone!" he smiled broadly.

Ce'it smiled, watching Jean stack the empty pizza boxes next to the garbage can. "Ready to leave whenever you are."

Kitty looked him over. "Like, hologram?"

Ce'it thumbed his watched, Kurt following a few seconds later. Kitty almost seemed disappointed when Kurt looked like everyone else. Ce'it smiled, catching onto her brief rush of emotions. He stood slowly, wrapping his tail around his waist.

Kurt was the first out of the door, hopping down the stairs. He waited for them at Ce'it's car. For a second, he glanced at his reflection in the glassy black paintjob, brushing back his hair. He looked up as Ce'it walked closer. "Iz this made out of vat I think it is?"

Ce'it laughed, "No, I just got a good deal on a black one. What if it got in an accident?"

Jean looked at him pointedly. "What if you did?"

"I have ways not to be found," he shrugged, opening the passenger door. He reached back and unlocked the rear passenger door. Kitty and Kurt claimed the back seat, Jean next to Ce'it up front. He could sense her brimming with questions as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. What do you do now? I mean, now that the Rylax are gone?"

Ce'it looked grimly out at the road. "They aren't gone. As long as they walk the Four Winds of Beyond, or until they sign a peace treaty, they will be threat to the Itex and their allies."

"Their? You're not a part of them?"

"No," he shook his head. "I am a Jedi, and that is my first calling. But, the Council sensed something was going to happen here, and it was the will of the Force to send me here."

"Four Winds of Beyond, Force, what is this stuff?"

"The first one is what the Itex use to refer to Traveling Beyond the Barrier." At her blank stare, he continued. "Transdimensional travel. The other is what I use to do what I do. It is the energy given off by all living things."

Kitty giggled from the back seat, "You sound so, like, mystical or something."

He smiled, "Not too far from the truth. We're here." He put the car into park, turning off the engine. Kurt bamfed out of the car to announce their arrival.

Professor Xavier and Scott were waiting for them. They filled the double doors, Scott behind and to the left of the Xavier. "How are you?" Xavier looked straight at Ce'it, his eyes boring to the Jedi's. Somehow, Ce'it doubted that he would take "fine" as an answer. "Logan mentioned something about aspirin?"

A corner of Ce'it's mouth quirked up in a smile. "Turns out I'm allergic to the stuff."

Comprehension dawned in the Professor's eyes. "I see. I trust that you are better."

He shrugged, "A little off, but not for too much longer."

Xavier pivoted smoothly on one wheel, turning into the mansion. He spoke as he turned, "We received a communication from K'Payr not too long ago. Seems she wishes to speak with you."

A slim woman stood up gracefully, pushing her hair back with one hand. Ce'it nodded his greeting.

Her husky accent filled the room as she spoke. "We are going to be down for a few months. The front company will be functional, as will your end of the organization." She looked meaningfully at the X-Men. "Ce'it will stay here as a teacher and our liaison, for how long we do not know. The front company is a shipping firm, specializing in delicate and technological goods."

"Fitting," Xavier folded his hands in his lap.

She smiled, "And your plane will be repaired tomorrow."

"How is that possible?" Ce'it had to smile at the rush of surprise from the Professor.

She shrugged, "It was not difficult, when you have the technology of the stars behind you."

He smiled, "I see."

She looked away, her face somber. "I must go, not all of the families have been informed of the battle." Xavier raised a hand, beckoning Kurt forward, but K'Payr thumbed the watch on her wrist. "_Keron_." She vanished in a flash of yellow light.

"Vat vas that?"

Ce'it smiled, "A transporter, like what you do, only with machines. Much greater range."

"How much?" Kurt looked up at him, tail twitching.

He shrugged, "I have no idea, but when they were scouting this world, they transported in from Pluto, I think."

Kurt let out a low whistle, "Some range."

Ce'it walked around the couch, easing into it. "Are you alright?" the Professor asked, concerned.

"Yes, just tired."

Logan crossed his arms, looking down at Kitty, Jean, and Kurt. "You missed the practice." He looked pointedly at Kurt, "No teleporting in the danger room."

"Yes Mr. Logan," the trio said simultaneously.

Three hours later, Evan had something he wanted to show Kurt. Without a thought, he pushed the door to his room open, stepping aside and speaking, "Hey, buddy, I got something I wanna—" his sentence was cut short when his eyes fell upon Kurt and Kitty.

Kurt sat on the bed, shirtless, reading from the grammar book Ce'it had given him. Kitty was sitting behind him, brushing his back.

"Okaaayyyy," Evan turned on one heel and left the room.

"Vonder vat that was all about." Kurt shrugged, looking up from his reading.

Kitty paused in her brushing, shrugging, "Like, I don't know."

****

The end?

Hmmm…I dunno, I see potential for whatever it was that Yoda sensed. Any ideas?


End file.
